CLEANUP

Your old hard disk is full up to the brim with data, and you are thinking about buying a new disk. To reduce the impact on your family budget, you decide to sell the old hard disk via one of the many online auction sites. In the course of time, your whole family will have left personal traces on the disk – and of course, you would prefer to remove personal documents, letters, dismissal notices, applications, photo albums, and access credentials from the disk. Luckily, you have Linux, and a one-liner at the command line is all it takes at a pinch.

Klaus Knopper is the creator of Knoppix and co-founder of the LinuxTag expo. He currently works as a teacher, programmer, and consultant. If you have a configuration problem, or if you just want to learn more about how Linux works, send your questions to: klaus@linux-magazine.com